SV650 Cafe Racer construction - would you buy?

Originally Posted by Pricey12

Sounds like an interesting idea.

Wouldn't changing a bike's frame alter the identity though?

The bike would need an IVA which would result in a Q plate being issued.

If the bike was to keep the original frame and only change the subframe - it would retain the original designation.

This would be possible but it would change the style of the bike.

Again, this is just pie in the sky at this stage so it's really here nor there from my point of view, but probably of great importance to the end customer.


So yes, it would change the bike's identity.

[Bibio]

for £4k you can buy a brand new SV650s out a showroom.

better idea would be 'barn finds/cheap' and make them road worthy as your main day to day while doing the odd cafe racer when it comes in the door.

one other thing, what qualifications do you have that people can put trust in your work?

[maviczap]

Much as I like your idea, maybe Bib's right, your average Sv owner doesn't have a lot of money to throw at their bikes.

How about fabricating parts for Sv's or modifying bits to fit Sv's.

Fancy billet top yokes would go down well I guess, and maybe converting the certain single sided swingarms to fit the SV frame?

Maybe target the Harley mob as they seem to have bucket loads of cash to spend on their hogs

Or the GSXR mob?

Broaden your target market to have a viable business?

I'm a fabricator by trade (thank you Army, the only thing I have to take away with me from my service) and I currently work for free at a race preparation workshop in my spare time, where I also fabricate frames and subframes for other bikes.

The first couple of bikes would be bought and owned by me, so the example of my work would be clear to see.

There isn't much money in working with 'barn find' bikes if you want to do a proper job. This is in my experience of trying this already and finding out how quickly costs go up for a non-running bike.

I'd rather work on functional bikes and deliver a high quality machine at the end of it.

I also want to work on only one model of bike initially as it will mean I have an expertise with this particular bike, rather than trying to do too much at once. (I'd need to develop a frame for every new bike, rather than make a good one that has already been designed and has provenance as a good piece of engineering.)

Also, this isn't aimed at people who want an SV650, but at people who already own an SV650 and want a different bike now.

[jambo]

Custom work is a bit tricky. Until you've built a few, most people won't want to come to you (I know you know this and are planning to do the SV as a concept bike). A "crate" custom is also something that people may or may not want.
What I would say is that you'll very likely get little business off a site like this. Not that people here don't appreciate quality, far from it, but few owner's forums are full of people just wondering who they could throw £5k at to rebuild their bikes into something completely different.

I've been loving the stuff put up on the bike shed of late, and several of those builds are commercial. I'd suspect the buyers are people into this custom scene, rather than people who believe that a Yamaha XS650 is an aspirational motorbike in it's original trim.

I like the idea, but these builds will go 3 ways:
1) People want to do them as home builds, and will pay for individual parts and services as they need them
2) People would like to sit down with someone with a reputation and talk through what they want done to their bike
3) People just want to buy one that's been built well.

I'd suspect the money comes mostly from point 1 & 2, and I'd say re-framing a bike is a big deal. At that point the bike either takes the identity of the bike that donated the frame if it's a used & modified part, or pretty much becomes a new, limited production machine almost certainly putting it on a Q plate in the UK. If you want to use a steel frame I'd probably see if you can start with a bike with a steel frame. The motor, shock and swing arm will probably all line right up as well, bonus!

These are specialist, luxury items. In the current economy getting the number of customers you need is going to be very key. I'd see if there's a show near you or a custom meet and talk to those people to see what their experience is. Do they do 50% custom work 50% standard workshop to pay the bills? Are they pure custom work? Are they beating customers off with a stick or having to chase every last one up?

To be clear: I love the bikes and the idea, but any time you do something customised, that costs a significant chunk of money you're limiting your market. You need to be pretty certain about getting enough work, and your first bike will probably take about twice as long as you think it will

Good luck, and keep us posted.

Jambo

[nikolajbak]

Have a look at www.wrenchmonkees.com they're doing what you're describing and the price range is as suggested.
It's a Copenhagen based workshop and I've seen several of their projects which are THE most beautiful and cool bikes I've ever seen.

I like your idea and there's is a market for the rebuilt modern cafe racers.
Still, I would look for a conceptual loophole within the business you're describing as to position yourself in a market sweet-spot.

The latest build from Wrenchmonkees

[tonyt]

Originally Posted by mrrowley87

I'm a fabricator by trade (thank you Army, the only thing I have to take away with me from my service) and I currently work for free at a race preparation workshop in my spare time, where I also fabricate frames and subframes for other bikes.

The first couple of bikes would be bought and owned by me, so the example of my work would be clear to see.

There isn't much money in working with 'barn find' bikes if you want to do a proper job. This is in my experience of trying this already and finding out how quickly costs go up for a non-running bike.

I'd rather work on functional bikes and deliver a high quality machine at the end of it.

I also want to work on only one model of bike initially as it will mean I have an expertise with this particular bike, rather than trying to do too much at once. (I'd need to develop a frame for every new bike, rather than make a good one that has already been designed and has provenance as a good piece of engineering.)

Also, this isn't aimed at people who want an SV650, but at people who already own an SV650 and want a different bike now.

What about considering the big bro SV1000.. might be an idea to put your idea over on the sv1000 and TL/S1000 sites.........

Wrenchmonkees is exactly what we are looking at, but again I am trying to offer a lower priced option for people who can stretch to a £4k build but not a 10000Euro build.

Working on a customer bike is a way of keeping costs down. I could buy the bikes and try and sell them complete, but I wouldn't be able to source bikes at a price to keep the final price competitive.

Those bikes that are worth working on are sat in people's garages, rather than on eBay at an inflated price. The cost of buying a decent SV to push out would push the price of the final bike up by almost £2k.

Again, a reason of doing it this way is that I want to put out beautiful, well made machines. Not any old trumpet that started off as a rusty shed.

This is another reason that I don't want to offer kits. I want people to see a bike with my name on it and even if they don't like the style, can at least appreciate the quality of the build.

[jambo]

Don't let anyone tell you this can't be done, it certainly can.

Build your first bike and then see how you feel. I'd say if the work is set price then you need to be sourcing the bikes yourself or putting a lot of fat in the budget. No 2 customer bikes will be the same, if you take their bike and then find that the motor won't run right, the bearings and calipers are worn out, is that loosing you your profit margin or changing the price after you've started the build? What if it takes longer than you'd hoped? The customer may not have a bike while you work on it.

If someone wants you to start with their bike, no problem, but I'm not sure it makes the build easier for you to control, which will be important

Again, you're asking a group who like the donor bike, but may not be best placed to buy the new bike. Essentially you want to sell cafe/brat customs that may happen to feature some sv components.

I really hope this goes well, but I'd make sure you checkout the market carefully (I know you are doing this, I just think most people here don't like parting with money for shiny stuff, custom buyers do just that)

Jambo
Sent from my thingie

So all these comments would suggest that a custom build on a customer's bike is not likely to appeal to current SV owners and I should therefore aim at customers already looking for a cafe bike.

This is exactly the kind of feedback I'm interested in!